I often see Ancient Persian soldiers depicted in images as carrying shields with notches cut into either side, like in this picture, as opposed to the circular Greek hoplon shield. What is the historical evidence behind this Persian shield shape, and did it hold advantages? Perhaps an opening for a spear or sword thrust?
Thanks for the help! I love the well-researched, thoughtful responses that always appear on this sub.
There is definitely historical evidence for the shield shape, which has been dubbed the dipylon shield. The bas reliefs at Persepolis in Iran show Persian guardsmen using such shields:
It was also a common shield shape used throughout the Middle-East and in Greece itself. Now, as for advantages, we honestly don't know. It may have been a means to hold a spear in a level position for an extended amount of time without fatiguing the user. This re-enactment group recreated the dipylon:
https://koryvantesstudies.org/studies-in-english-language/page205-2/
And they noted that one could place the spear there, but it limited certain attacks. However, they stated it was perfect for making thrusts with a sword. But in regards to the Persians I kinda doubt they did this because they used the much larger spara (a tall, wicker shield) in battle, and the spear was their primary hand-to-hand weapon. Also, dipylon seems only to be utilized in guard duties as there is no mention of them in the accounts of the Greco-Persian Wars by Herodotus. So perhaps the shields originally were designed to include a rest for spears or an opening for thrusts, but over time the shape became for cultural than practical.
Sources
The History of Herodotus Volume 1, Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2707/2707-h/2707-h.htm
The History of Herodotus Volume 2, Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2456/2456-h/2456-h.htm
